BIOS update
Depending on the stability of the BIOS (bugs or any lack of specific software and hardware support), an important step that may be needed as a starting point after you have a working PC is to update it (called "flashing" the BIOS). This step can be ignored if you determine that any higher version of the BIOS will not solve any problems or requirements you are experiencing. The easiest way to do this is to find another computer, download the flash update and place it on a USB thumb drive (or another bootable support media) and boot the new computer with it. If you do not have another computer or thumb drive, you will need to defer this step until you install the operating system (you can also use a boot disk that allows the operating system to run) to get the new operating system computer connected to the network.
operating system
If you have an operable machine that recognizes the basic hardware (CPU, RAM, HD, mouse and keyboard), you are now ready to begin installing an operating system (OS). You can choose from several from the Internet or your local computer store.
Options can vary and there are many operating systems to choose from, including commercial versions such as Microsoft Windows (the current version is Windows 10 version 1803) or free versions such as GNU/Linux distributions (free software operating systems) or BSD.It all depends on what you will be using your machine (features and required software) for and what you are are willing to pay the price tag for and the support you need. In short, will you be able to perform your daily tasks with the software that will run under the operating system in question? Do you need some special software availability that will run on older equipment? Have you considered the costs? Determine your needs before installing an operating system.
Note that you also have the option of installing more than one operating system in a so-called multi-boot setup. After installing an operating system, you can always install another one. The complexity of doing so may vary, depending on how the last program automates (or does not automate at all) the process. If your multi-boot setup is Windows-only, install the oldest version of Windows first.
Attention:
If you are going to install a Windows operating system in a multi-boot setup, Windows should be installed first.This is because Windows tends to overwrite the software required for GNU / Linux to boot, even if something already exists. Newer versions of Windows tend to be more cooperative.
Installing Windows
Windows is relatively easy to install. Press the power button on the front of the PC, put the DVD-ROM in the optical drive or plug in the USB, and follow the on-screen instructions (you may need to configure the BIOS to start with the DVD or USB). If you're doing a Windows-only installation, simply assign all hard drives to Windows.
Some people find it useful to create separate partitions for the operating system and data. This means that if something goes wrong with the operating system, you can format the partition and reinstall the operating system, probably without losing data. If you have allocated the entire disk to 1 partition and want to change it later, you can create a new partition (from an existing one) using Disk Management in Windows Vista and higher or using a third-party tool.
If you are installing Windows on a RAID drive or SATA drive in some cases, you must provide the driver to the Windows installer so that it can access the hard drive on the raid controller. When you are asked to select a partition, you can click Load Driver and browse (or ask Windows to search) for the driver. Unlike Windows XP, you are not limited to floppy disks; a USB flash drive will suffice.
If you do have a copy of Windows 7 or later, you used to be able to upgrade to Windows 10 for free, but that offer is no longer available.
Installing Windows to Dual Boot with GNU / Linux
If you are dual-booting, there are some additional factors that must be considered.NTFS is the default file system used by Windows and is well supported in Linux.NTFS-3Ghas reached a usable stage where users have not reported data corruption or loss during ordinary use of the latest version of the driver, providing GNU / Linux users with a reliable method of reading and writing to NTFS partitions. The system is now widely available and most recent Linux distributions will support the NTFS file system. Previously, read-only support was safe, and may still be so for some distributions. However, NTFS does have some advantages over FAT32, as there is no longer a 4GB file size limit. While Linux supports NTFS, Windows does not have built-in support for any of the standard GNU / Linux file systems. However, there are some Windows applications such asExt2 IFS, can be used to read/write ext2 and ext3 systems.
When partitioning your hard disk, remember to leave space for GNU / Linux (a good amount is about one-third of the total hard disk space). You may want to share a spare FAT32 partition (about a third of the disk space) between Windows and GNU / Linux. Although this is probably not necessary unless you are using a distribution that cannot read/write NTFS. You should also modify the partition table as needed - you may not need the space for Windows, or your FAT32 transfer area may need more space. But you must be sure to allow at least 30 GB of space for the Windows installation, as the standard installation of Windows takes up about 10-15 GB of hard disk space, and it's a good idea to leave extra to allow for any changes that may result.Windows 8 specifically prevents installation on drives with less than 16 GB (20-bit, 64-bit) of usable space. If you have 16 GB or more of RAM, more space is required.
Installation of GNU / Linux
See also:Linux Guide
See also:Wikipedia: List of Linux distributions
See also:Wikipedia: Comparison of Linux distributions
The main problem faced when installing GNU / Linux is choosing between distributions. Among the many variants of GNU / Linux, Fedora, SuSE and Ubuntu are usually recommended as they are regularly updated and compatible with various hardware:
- Fedora, currently version 28. used to be the de facto GNU / Linux.
- openSuSE, currently version 15.
- Ubuntu, currently version 18.04 LTS. is becoming increasingly popular as an easy-to-use desktop GNU/Linux.
- Debian, currently version 9.4.
Some GNU / Linux variants may support hardware that these do not. If you have obscure older hardware, you may need to search the forum site for various GNU / Linux variants to ensure compatibility. For example, Puppy Linux is a small Linux distribution designed to run on older systems, like Damn Small Linux.
For example, let's consider Ubuntu. it is a variant of Debian, the current standard for easy-to-use GNU / Linux distributions. It is possible to download the .iso image from its website or order a CD set (containing a combination installation CD and LiveCD). An .iso is nothing more than a special file format used by CD drive burning software to create a copy of software, in this case Ubuntu GNU / Linux.
Most distributions of GNU / Linux are relatively easy to install. Press the button on the front of your PC, place the CD-ROM in the optical drive, and follow the on-screen instructions. By default, the installed version of Ubuntu will erase all files on the hard drive and partition 1.8 GB for the operating system.To customize it, follow the on-screen instructions carefully.The LiveCd version will not erase your hard drive and is intended for users to test drive Ubuntu GNU / Linux only.
When installing a GNU / Linux distribution, you may be asked to choose between alternate options - for example, whether to run KDE or Gnome, or whether to install vi or Emacs or nano. if the terms are unfamiliar, a quick Google is usually a revelation. And, as in both examples, most such choices are a matter of preference, with either option being viable.
